BLACK STILT Himantopus novaezelandiae

Generally accepted as the rarest wader in the world and the subject of much
conservation effort, this bird is not easy to see in the wild and even then
can be difficult to identify, due to the presence of hybrids, and the juvenile
plumages being pied. Often the easiest way is to look for a ring, since every
Black Stilt in the world carries one. The large image here is a captive 1st-year
bird, the others being a genuine adult and a "lookalike" hybrid.